Review: MixPad Professional is feature loaded but suffers from a lack of direction

MixPad Professional offers a number of powerful tools for creating audio files on your
Mac, but it lacks the design and organization that would make it more streamlined. The result is a tool that, for those who master it, offers a solid range of options; but that will be frustrating and messy for most casual users or those who are not used to this type of software.

When you open MixPad Professional, you can start editing tracks immediately. Almost everything you need is onscreen at the start, which is both useful and a bit overwhelming. Dragging and dropping tracks, loading new tracks, dropping in audio clips, and then adding effects, it can all be done from one screen, which takes some time to get used to. The learning curve is steep and the interface doesn't help much; there aren't any tutorials or walk-throughs, and finding tools, even if you know what you're looking for, can take time. In the end, though, what matters most with a tool like MixPad is audio quality and the output of the files you create. While GarageBand is easier to use, the number of formats, the supporting tools, and the speed of MixPad are all very good and make for a solid, well-made app.

If you need a basic audio editor for a short podcast or audio recording, there are other less expensive apps that will get the job done without so many issues. MixPad has a narrow audience with a $69.95 price tag and a middle-level list of features (not as powerful as professional-grade tools, but more so than the entry-level tools on Mac). If you fit that audience, however, consider MixPad for your audio editing.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of MixPad Professional Audio Mixer for Mac 3.21.